Traditional Graffitti

Watch any news broadcast about terrorism and you will hear the cliche “failure  to connect the dots”.  This phrase is usually associated with a failure of a government agency to link information in its possession to a future terrorist attack.  We have become accustomed to hearing this phrase repeated ad nauseum with every new terror incident.  The government is not the only entity, which fails to connect the dots.  Witness the failures of fourth estate. (the traditional media)

The press has been relied upon as the check on government.  It has been referred to as the watchdog of a free society.  This watchdog has become the ultimate pet with liberals and conservatives each supporting their own pets.  Refer to my prior post.   How many conservative or liberal news outlets pursue in depth investigations when, comments are made by “their side”.  They seldom if ever pursue an objective investigation of the other side.  It is easier to just report what is said even when what is said is simply an obfuscation or contains glaring inaccuracies.

Research uses resources, both human and financial.  We live in a twenty four seven news cycle and a market where traditional media is in decline.  It is expensive to do research, so we depend on less experienced employees, who spoon feed the “on air talent”.

What is the result of this?  No one in the media connects the dots.  The viewers see the same tired quotes repeated over and over again throughout the day and in the case of many outlets repeated over and over within the same hour of any given day.  Analysts appear and repeat the party talking points, while the facts are never explored.

Witness one Hillary Clinton, who is heard repeating her talking points about never sending emails marked as classified or top secret.  The lapdogs play her comments over and over.  They parse her words instead of asking simple questions.  Is this the type of conduct expected of the most experienced and qualified female attorney in the U.S.?  What should be expected from someone with her background and experience?  Does it really matter whether her conduct reaches the threshold of criminality, when she is seeking the highest office in the land?  The Clintons learned the game long ago.  Repeat a line often enough and it becomes tomorrow’s fact.

Meanwhile a plethora of political operatives flood the airwaves masquerading as political analysts and proclaim the depth and breath of Ms Clinton’s experience, yet no one really can cite accomplishments.   As a matter of fact, her history is riddled with failure.  Her healthcare reform in the nineties was a failure.  She failed to understand the will of the voters of that time.  Her time in the Senate as a  carpetbag New York Senator was unremarkable.

The airwaves are filled with platitudes yet her time as Secretary of State will be known for her failure to protect state secrets not her brilliant foreign policy strategies.  Now she talks of her opponent’s temperament.  No one explores her character.  No one connects the dots.  How can the most qualified candidate ever and a brilliant politician be such an abject failure?  Why does she always try to have the public judge her conduct by a criminality standard.  (If it’s not criminal,then it’s okay?)

Now witness one Donald Trump.  The conservative media fawns over his decisiveness and his willingness to fight.  Never do they bother to ask, if this is the way an individual seeking the highest office in the land should conduct himself.  It doesn’t matter whether his outbursts have any basis in fact.  He is permitted to whine about how he is characterized in the media, yet thinks nothing of resorting to calling his opponents names.  Truth is not important, as long as the comments are directed at others.

He brings ratings.  He threatens defamation suits, never realizing he is a public figure and the standard for defamation is and should be higher.  The media doesn’t report the consequences of the changes he says should occur to the standard for defamation even though his proposals would severely limit free speech in political contests. What needs to happen?  The dots need to be connected.  The public has a right to more than the superficial pablum served up by the media sycophants.

Character assassination is the hallmark of  Donald Trump’s campaign, yet no one in the conservative media does any more than report what he says.  They would rather photograph an empty podium, then make an investment in researching, whether what he says has any basis in fact.   Chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!” bring increased audience.  Catering to him by referring to him as Mr. Trump is easier than calling him out for his boorish name calling behavior  The media never connects the dots.  They would rather report on the horse race than give the public information necessary to make an informed decision.

So what are we left with at a crucial time in our nation’s history?  A name calling contest.  A choice between two unvetted political lightweights.  Neither has been truly tested by the fourth estate.  So what do I say ” a pox on all of your houses”.  Now we can only hope one of these two pretenders steps up and becomes a leader.  The country hangs in the balance!

 

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Republicans every election cycle struggle needlessly with “Cognitive Dissonance”. Their dilemma is faced by all, who believe in liberty and self reliance. They struggle to justify their political stand with the “Golden Rule”. Their angst stems from a failure to comprehend the true basis for capitalism and the ramifications of Democratic Policies. When one judges based upon emotion, it is easy to miss the true ramifications of these policies.

Long ago I was told that you could easily cook a live frog by slowly raising the temperature of the water rather than simply tossing the frog into a pot of hot water. The frog will attempt to escape the pot with hot water, but will not attempt escape, when the temperature is slowly raised. Too many Republicans have been slowly convinced that by embracing capitalism they are abandoning Christian virtue. It is in fact true that when they embrace the policies of the compassionate state that they abandon their virtue.

Capitalism has for far too long suffered from the criticism that it is solely a tool of the greedy. As with a hammer, a knife or any tool, misuse is always possible. Individuals, who use their wealth solely to produce more wealth at the expense of others is an example of a failure of a person or group not an indictment of the entire system. Notice I used the word solely and the phrase at the expense of others in tandem here.

Greed and and other inappropriate motivations exist in society as a whole and as such exist in capitalistic societies as well. Capitalism’s superiority rests in the fact that individuals are free to choose their paths. Capitalism allows for the exercise of free will. Our Founders believed that freedom was the quintessential virtue that must be protected. It is what allows the individual to be a unique human being or one one among many as the individual chooses.

When I was a young boy in Catholic school, I was taught President Kennedy’s now famous quote. “Ask not what your country can do for you,but what you can do for your country”. Since he was the first Roman Catholic President, you can imagine, the tremendous identification I had with this larger than life heroic leader. So enamored by his persona was I that the statist nature of his message was viewed by me and many others as the ultimate expression of patriotism. Everyone saw this young leader as the ideal person with whom one could cast his or her lot. Thus began the America’s obsession with the concept of government service as a high calling.

Upon his untimely death the mantle of leadership fell to Lyndon Johnson. President Johnson built on the foundation laid by FDR and Kennedy. He promoted the Great Society. He provided what he saw as a moral goal. The elimination of poverty. (Aka prevention of adverse economic outcomes) FDR demonstrated that government could be advanced to accomplish tasks not contemplated at the birth of our nation and Kennedy fostered the idea of public service. ( “…what you can do for your country”) Johnson clothed the federal government with moral purpose. How can anyone stand against his objectives? The Republican view of the world as expressed by Barry Goldwater was characterized as pugnacious and selfish.
How could the Great Society achieve its noble goal. Use the power of government as a blacksmith would, to shape the new society using the hammer of government to control outcomes. Does it matter whether the Great Society is accomplished at a great cost, the loss of personal freedom? Many including many Republicans were willing to embrace the power of government. You see, free will can be messy when the direction of a country is dependent on the actions of the populace. It is not a linear path and its movement toward any goal even a worthy one is dependent on the good character of its citizenry. A powerful government can push even an apathetic populace. Doesn’t that noble end outweigh the loss of free will?

It is now time for self reflection. Are we closer now to the promised Great Society? Are we closer to a society where poverty is a distant object in society’s rearview mirror? Are we a more moral people? Is there more or less room for dissent in a society that requires the populace to celebrate all types of conduct and treats discomfort as a reason to curtail thought? Have government guidelines advanced or retarded the free exercise of religion? Do you feel more or less safe? Do you feel empowered to advance your economic interests? Do you and your neighbors feel the country is more educationally balanced?  Are there more or fewer barriers to entry into the economic realm?

I propose a replacement for President Kennedy’s most famous quote. Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do to help your neighbor. It is your choice to act or not to act. Advancement toward or away from any goal is dependent on the will of its citizenry not the state. Freedom is messy since it allows for advancement or failure based on the independent choices of the individual. Success is measured by its citizenry and adjusted by the sum total of their individual choices.

Government exists to preserve the natural rights of its citizens not to push them toward a collective goal. How is this moral with all the misery in the world? This path is based on the inherent right of the individual to be free. The ultimate right, free will. The populace can use their rights for good or ill. Federal Government exists for limited purposes.   It exists to preserve individual’s natural rights and promote national safety and establish a common currency and insure fair economic competition between the several states. It was not nor should it be an instrument to herd or control its citizenry. Tyranny is tyranny, whether by a sovereign or a group of voting citizenry.  We live in a Republic with limited powers and protected individual rights.  Our economic system, capitalism, is consistent with the concept of individual liberty.

Next time you are challenged about capitalism or the impotence of the federal government to swiftly advance societal change, remember the moral high ground is still yours. Capitalism offers the unique opportunity for each individual to achieve his or her highest potential in the economic marketplace. It offers the best opportunity to help, not control your neighbor.

Doubt me, then look at the standard of living in the old communist empire. Look at the standard of living enjoyed by those in the many regimes of the middle east or the dictatorships of Africa. Many of these regimes are in countries with vast amounts of natural resources, yet all standards of living pale in comparison to ours.

How is your neighbor best served?   Your neighbor is not better served by grand economic master plans, when we can have our plan crafted by millions of individuals creating the plan, which best serves them by making choices best for them every single day.  No one could gather sufficient data nor create an algorithm that could better serve the citizenry.

Where government oversight is needed, it is best exercised at the point closest to the populace it serves. Never forget, our republican form of government’s primary purpose is to protect  its citizens and preserve their natural rights. It is the responsibility of the citizenry by their choice to assist their neighbor, when assistance is requested.

Remember this truism a government, which attempts to do everything for everyone ultimately does nothing of value for its citizenry. Freedom of choice is the key to to personal advancement as well as economic opportunity. It is time to roll back marginal regulations, which do little to protect citizens, but act as a barrier to entry into a field of endeavor. It is time to return to limited government and personal responsibility.  Coveting or taking your neighbors goods is not moral simply because it is decided by a vote.  Individuals have the moral responsibility to serve their neighbor and the free will to choose to do so. The individual is served by being challenged.  Those individuals, who are incapable of assisting themselves should be helped by charity.  There are ample individuals, families and private organizations capable of assisting.  Government simply is not good at it.

Life is not totally safe and an attempt to make it so confines humankind to a short life in a cave under a rock. It is safe, but short and with no room for growth. Remember the individual is directed to help their neighbor not the collective.  Limited government is not accomplished by hope and change, but by the faith, hope and charity of the individual.

It’s really quite amazing the information you are bombarded with in the morning, which is portrayed as news or commentary, but which is hardly newsworthy and as commentary is merely a restatement of the obvious.  Such is the case this morning with the words of Senator Mitch McConnell.  Senator McConnell recently appeared on the FBN show “Mornings with Maria Bartiromo”.  The Senator in response to questions defended the Republican Congress’ record.  He indicated that the Congress had sent bills to the President to repeal Obamacare and dismantle Mr. Obama’s initiatives.  He correctly stated these bills were greeted by a veto, which he knew he lacked the votes to override.

What the Senator said is true as far as it went, however what he failed to say is more significant.  This Congress as all Congresses possesses the power of the purse.  The Congress funds the government.   This Congress knows how the President will react to the bills they sent to him, yet they continue the same tactics in a lame attempt to convince the people, they are attempting to secure change.  What the Congress is actually engaged in is an attempt to insure reelection for its members, while doing nothing to stop the Obama agenda from moving forward.  The Republican establishment values holding office over progress on its legislative agenda.  Member’s futures are prioritized over the good of the country.

Where it could secure meaningful change is through the budgeting process, (the power of the purse) it unilaterally disarms itself at every turn.  Why?  It is a lack of true leadership in the Republican Congress.  There is a failure to spread the conservative message.  Now more than ever, there are multiple news streams available to get out the conservative message, yet they cower and pass omnibus and cromnibus bills, which embolden and advance the President’s agenda.  They believe the people are too ignorant to understand basic civics.   They accept the narrative that the executive is entitled to fund his programs.  What they have as a result of this failure is a populist Democrat, who has captured the Republican nomination for president.  They face a hostile takeover of their party.

Now they are engaged in a campaign to discredit their party’s nominee.  They accept all criticisms of their nominee, while overlooking the inadequacies of the Democratic candidate.  They once again are more concerned about the future of their individual members and unconcerned about the path of the country.  I am to a point where I say, who needs them.  They got Donald Trump because they won’t advance the people’s agenda of less government and less regulation.  They just won’t fight!  Now they will fight, but only against the populist candidate their incompetence enabled.

Once upon a time there was a political party called the Whigs.  When it no longer advanced the will of its constituency, it morphed and became the modern day Republican Party.  We have reached a point in our history where there is a far left party (Democrats) and a party concerned only with the preservation of its elite members (Republicans).  Perhaps we have reached a point, where a new organization with a different culture is needed.  Let’s start a true conservative organization promoting constitutionally mandated limited government and promoting candidates, who serve the people rather than serve for their own future.  Those, who believe in limited government, can come along.  Those, who don’t should find themselves in the refuse pile of history.  Failed members of an era of minority thinking and failed leadership.

Think about it.  We have run out of opportunity to elect new representatives in this primary election, but we have two years to prepare before the next full Congressional primary season.  Planning must start now!  A new party platform created and candidates recruited and financing lined up.  This time we need to be dependent for financing from the many not the few.  Good news is, we have many new and yet not fully explored platforms for securing support.  Social media calls!

Ask yourself these questions.  Are you satisfied being led by a northeastern valued Democrat?  Have your previous choices of a liberal northeastern former governor and “maverick southwestern senator”, who doesn’t understand the principles of limited government (Witness: McCain-Feingold), been the types of choices a limited government individual could zealously support?  If not, then let’s take the opportunity to repeat history and oust the pretenders!

The last post on this site was somewhat unusual as it strayed from what is considered retail politics and was more issue driven. One of the prime issues in this year’s election will be the economy. It seems that neither political candidate will seriously address entitlement reform. Each candidate is concerned with establishing their credentials with the east and west coast liberal urban voters.

You see it is poisonous to suggest there is trouble in paradise. Supporters of Bernie Sanders certainly don’t want to hear the message that any government entitlement should be cut during an election cycle where Senator Sanders is championing new educational program expansion. (free college for all) The soon to be coronated head of the Republican Party is hell bent on securing electoral votes from at least one Northeastern state, so you will see no plans that deal with entitlement reform from him. The message will be all is well, so much for tearing the system down. Establishment Republicans are content to keep any entitlement changes, which might be planned, under wraps during this season, lest they be accused of “pushing grandma off the cliff” again. Hillary Clinton is the last of the old guard big government advocates, so there will be no revision or curtailment of entitlements from her camp. Her slogan should be “Remember Single Payer! I had it first.”

Where does that leave us? I believe where we should be. We should be out front pushing for change by challenging assumptions in our own lives and acting to effect change in our world. (the real world) If we can attract enough attention, by our actions by moving the labor participation rate, then we can force the political class to concede the point that policy must change as the social demographics change. It’s time to address the demographics by changing entitlements to encourage senior work not on a full time basis but as desired. We are a society that is aging. We need qualified workers and trainers to guide the next generation of workers.

After we lead the way by moving the labor participation rate, then Congress needs to act to address antiquated rules that restrict employment and investment. Rules should be changed to conform to the realities of an information society. We need to understand that individuals, who choose to invest, are responsible for their choices and when abuse occurs, then it should be promptly and harshly addressed on a case by case basis. It’s time to demand that state prosecutors do their jobs, when the situation requires it.

Jobs will be created in an information society in many theaters. Workers will be needed to give advice and perform tasks. Investment will be needed and large banks are not the way to create small business. More and  less regulated local funding is the path to small business growth. Let’s put the state “laboratories of democracy” to work crafting information age solutions. Nineteen forties or even nineteen seventies rules have no place in a modern information society. It’s time to let freedom prevail.

We should no longer be shackled by FLSA. Our President believes he did a tremendous service by changing overtime rules for salaried individuals. These ancient rules work against hiring many seniors, who schedules may not conform to the typical work day or work week. He in keeping with his agenda believes he should decide what a desirable situation is. News flash, Mr. President, individuals decide what situation is appropriate for them, not the federal government. Still I am sure in a sluggish economy he bought some democratic and independent votes by his short sighted and short term pay increase. The net result of his actions will be a setback to the economy.

Let’s establish a web presence for experience. Let’s create a market for gray labor. “We can work for less and train others to be the best”. We can afford to work at what would be considered a discount for five to ten years, while collecting retirement pay. We can increase the participation rate, train young workers and still maintain the type of flexible lifestyle that years of labor have earned. My previous post I stated .that people work because it provides them with a sense of purpose. Let’s put seniors to work training the millennials. Education doesn’t end in the vocational or even the college classroom. It’s time to be the movement. Don’t feel the Bern. Change the system. If free will was a blueprint for our creator, then freedom should prevail in our society.

Now a personal note! If anyone needs a senior individual to help out with Microsoft Access and office projects and could use help with office procedure improvement, I am available. I have 13 years of experience and only need to be free to exercise and take the occasional ten day cruise. I’m flexible!

When you were in school, you were probably told to not believe all you are told, but view source documents. How many followed this advice? I can tell you in my experience few, if any followed the advice. As we age, we have an opportunity to reflect on a great number of issues. As we examine ourselves, we find we believe what we were told and what we have come to believe because of personal experience.

If you are like me, your earliest memories of work probably revolve around household chores or menial tasks, you were told to do. You complied at first because of threat of disapproval or punishment or maybe the offer of a reward. I remind you of this to make the following point. Your first impressions of work were probably not real positive ones.

As you gained experience in the “real world”, the tasks required of you were probably more challenging. Hopefully, your reason for work changed. Now you work and your reasons and rewards gained from work changed. Threat of punishment was no longer a factor nor did promise of reward act as the sole reason for your work. If you were like me, a sense of personal achievement and internal sense of accomplishment replaced prior motivations. You gained a sense of purpose. Your job, while still at times less than pleasant, was self rewarding. Still you waited for the day, when your time could be your own and financial concerns and a “job” didn’t monopolize your day. You were told retirement was the ultimate goal. Free time and opportunity for travel, hobbies and other pleasantries, you set aside would await you. You believe this is a desirable goal because you are feeling burdened by your daily grind and the prospect of more freedom is appealing.

This is the time to remember the words of the school teacher. Examine the source of the belief. The retirement dream was one born in another time, when jobs were unfulfilling and dangerous and relief from the physical grind itself was a reward. We live in a time with different national demographics. Concerns over the sustainability of many social programs, which retirees depend on, are in doubt. What is the answer to these concerns? Examine your beliefs. Is the retirement completely free from purpose even desirable? Perhaps the vast union hoard had the whole concept wrong. Perhaps people need work. Some can fulfill that need through volunteer work or a hobby, but for many nothing replaces work with real remuneration.

Is this to suggest we are all to be subject to endless toil until death? No, but more utilization of the experience of the senior population is sensible and is advantageous to both society and the individual. Our society today is employing more and more part time labor. Doesn’t it make sense that those with experience be utilized and incentivized more in what was formerly full retirement? This type of policy if properly incentivized could ease some of the burden on Social Security and Medicaid and still aid the senior and allow for more freedom in what was otherwise complete retirement.

Some will not want this. I say this is their choice. Examine your choices. Are you acting because you want a life style? If you are, then I say proceed. If, however after reaching the age you find a sense of purpose missing, join with me in requesting a choice in retirement. I think you will find an approach, which eases an individual into a partial work situation to be desirable for you.

Next time: Establishing a website for marketing senior experience. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!